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09/03/2006

The new Dylan Q cover: some other views

Thanks to James Ketchell:

“Another month, another UK music magazine with Dylan on the cover and a massive feature on the master songwriter on the inside. This month, it is Q magazine, but we have recently seen Mojo, Uncut and the NME Original magazines all produce these specials (and The Word – Ed).

“They seem almost incessant, and at any price between £4 and £6 a go, can severely impact on the wallet. But why all this sudden interest in Dylan’s work by the mainstream musical press?

“A fan might say that it is a tribute to Dylan’s place in Rock and Roll history, that the stories presented are fascinating and deserve to be discovered by the mass market, and that his albums are worthy of this
praise.

“A cynic, such as myself, is more likely to suggest that Dylan fans are quite simply fools who will pay anything for a magazine with our man on the front cover. Why do I think this? Because the stories are often factually incorrect, the photos have been seen a thousand times before and the cover-mounted CDs will be listened to once and put on the shelf.

“Let us, dear readers of the Dylan Daily, face the facts. We will purchase these magazines, despite the fact that there is better information available on Dylan over the Internet or in the books of Paul Williams and Michael Gray.

“In many respects, we are acting like Dylan supporters, as opposed to music fans, and are blindly purchasing these mementoes and helping them to increase their circulation in ‘slow’ months. Quantity does not equate to quality. Surely Dylan’s work can be better celebrated?”




Tom Townsend’s response was altogether more positive:

“I went out to buy Q magazine today. I would not normally have touched it after their coverage of Morrissey a few months back, however there are actually quite a few good articles on Bob, and some great pics.

“I would not say it's perfect - the reasons for asking Chris Martin to write an article are beyond me, it’s maybe because he's the fad of the moment. There are also some interesting choices in the magazine’s Quintessential Dylan 50 Unsung Classics. I think it’s worth buying.

“They also reviewed some Billy Bragg re-releases, which is a bonus, if there are any other fans out there (I sincerely hope not –Ed)”

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